Price checkMonthly
Payroll Essentials$49/moPayroll + HR Add-on$64/moCompliance Resources Add-on$10/mo
See all 4 plans

All OnPay Plans & Pricing

Plan Monthly Annual Best For
View all features by plan (compare side-by-side)

Payroll Essentials

  • Unlimited payroll runs and schedules
  • Federal, state, and local tax filings included
  • W-2s and 1099s included
  • Employee self-service portal
  • Benefits administration
  • Time-off tracking
  • First month free

Payroll + HR Add-on

  • All Payroll Essentials features
  • PTO requests and approvals
  • Customizable HR workflows
  • Document and form management
  • Employee directory and org charts
  • Software provisioning

Compliance Resources Add-on

  • State-by-state compliance alerts
  • Hundreds of HR templates and guides
  • Regulatory update notifications

Live HR Support Add-on

  • Dedicated HR concierge
  • Live HR expert support
  • Pre-built HR templates
Start OnPay Free Trial — 30 Days
Compare OnPay with alternativesAdjust seats, lock a tier, add up to 2 more products side-by-side. Shareable URL.
Cost calculator

What does OnPay actually cost you?

Drag the slider. Pick a tier. Your projected spend updates as you go.

Tier
Billing
Your projected cost$1.2Kper month · $49/unit × 25units
Year 1 license$15K12 months at this rate
At a glance

List price by tier (annualized, per unit)

Per-unit list price across OnPay's plans, annualized. Custom-priced tiers show a hatched bar.

Payroll Essentials$588/yr
Payroll + HR Add-on$768/yr
Compliance Resources Add-on$120/yr
Live HR Support Add-on$900/yr
Real-world benchmark

Buyers actually pay a median of $480/yr for OnPay contracts (Vendr deal flow, n=25). That's a contract total — the more seats, the more leverage to negotiate down.

Quick Answer
Last verified:
Medium confidence

OnPay costs $10 to $149 per month as of July 2026, with 4 plans available. Plans: Payroll Essentials at $49/month, Payroll + HR Add-on at $64/month, Compliance Resources Add-on at $10/month, and Live HR Support Add-on at $75/month. The median contract is $480/year based on 25 verified purchases.

Use the interactive pricing calculator to estimate your exact cost based on team size and requirements.

  • Free tier: No free tier available

OnPay offers 4 pricing tiers: Payroll Essentials, Payroll + HR Add-on, Compliance Resources Add-on, Live HR Support Add-on. Paid plans include Payroll Essentials at $49/month + $6/employee/month, Payroll + HR Add-on at $64/month + $8/employee/month, Compliance Resources Add-on at $10/month (add-on). The Payroll + HR Add-on plan is growing teams that need hr tools alongside payroll.

Compared to other payroll software software, OnPay is positioned at the mid-market price point.

  • Median contract: $480/yr from 25 purchases Thin data
  • 6 documented hidden costs beyond list price
Last verified: | Sources: 1 pricing pages and reviews

How much does OnPay cost?

OnPay pricing ranges from $10 to $149/month across 4 plans. Plans include Payroll Essentials at $49/month, Payroll + HR Add-on at $64/month, Compliance Resources Add-on at $10/month, Live HR Support Add-on at $75/month.

OnPay Pricing Overview

OnPay has 4 pricing plans ranging from $10 to $149/month. The Payroll Essentials plan costs $49/month, best for small to mid-size businesses running payroll. The Payroll + HR Add-on plan costs $64/month, best for growing teams that need hr tools alongside payroll. The Compliance Resources Add-on plan costs $10/month, best for businesses needing compliance guidance across states. The Live HR Support Add-on plan costs $75/month, best for businesses that want on-call hr expertise.

The median OnPay customer pays $480/year based on 25 verified purchases.

There are at least 6 documented hidden costs beyond OnPay's list price, including implementation, training, and add-on fees.

This pricing was last verified in June 9, 2026 from 1 independent source.

Start OnPay Free Trial — 30 Days
OnPay pricing starts at $49/month base plus $6/month per employee — making the minimum effective cost $49/month for a business with one employee. There are no hidden fees, and W-2s, 1099s, and year-end filings are all included in the base price.

The core Payroll Essentials plan covers unlimited payroll runs, automated federal, state, and local tax filings, employee self-service, benefits administration, and hiring tools. OnPay also offers a first-month-free trial so new customers can test the full platform before paying.

Optional HR add-ons let you expand the platform as your team grows. The HR Add-on costs an additional $15/month base + $2/employee/month. Further enhancements include Compliance Resources (+$10/month) for state-by-state regulatory alerts and Live HR Support (+$75/month) for access to a dedicated HR concierge.

For a 10-person team on the base plan, OnPay costs $109/month ($49 base + $60 for 10 employees). Adding the full HR suite brings that to $204/month.

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How OnPay Pricing Compares

Compare OnPay pricing against top alternatives in Payroll Software.

Oyster HR $0-$699/user/mo Compare → Patriot Payroll $17-$37/user/mo Compare → Paycom Custom pricing Compare →

Compare OnPay vs Alternatives

Before committing to OnPay, compare pricing with these 3 alternatives in the same category.

VSOyster HR
Free

Trial period

Full comparison
VSPatriot Payroll
From $17/user/mo

Small businesses handling own tax filing

Full comparison
VSPaycom
Custom

General users and teams

Full comparison

All OnPay alternatives & migration guides

What Companies Actually Pay for OnPay

The median OnPay buyer pays $480/year based on 25 verified purchase transactions.

What companies actually pay $480/yr Median across 25 community cost mentions Thin data
Review scores
TrustRadius 9.8out of 10 (98)
Third-party review aggregates, as of Jul 2026
Top pricing complaints
No built-in time tracking — must integrate third-party tools at extra costNo weekend customer supportMobile app available only on iOS, not AndroidAdding new employees could be more straightforward
Source: Community cost mentions (Reddit, Hacker News) — aggregated from 25 distinct user reports. Indicative only — not contract-grade data.

OnPay Year 1 Total Cost by Company Size

Real deployment costs including licenses, implementation, training, and admin — not just the sticker price.

Solo Founder / Single Employee $55 Year 1 total
$660/year
Total $55

One-person business using the Payroll Essentials plan ($49 base + $6 per employee per month).

Small Team (5 Employees) $79 Year 1 total
$948/year
Total $79

Five-employee business on the Payroll Essentials plan.

Small Team with HR Add-on (5 Employees) $94 Year 1 total
$1,128/year
Total $94

Five-employee business using the Payroll + HR Add-on plan ($64 base + $6 per employee per month).

Growing Team (20 Employees) $169 Year 1 total
$2,028/year
Total $169

Twenty-employee business on the Payroll Essentials plan.

Growing Team with Full Add-ons (20 Employees) $298 Year 1 total
base $64
employees $120
compliance $10
live HR $75
for 20 employees beyond base calculation; note: per-employee fee applies per employee $29
Total $298

Twenty-employee business with Payroll + HR Add-on, Compliance Resources Add-on, and Live HR Support Add-on.

CURRENT TIER DATA + Reddit pricing references

How OnPay Pricing Compares

Software Starting Price Top Price
OnPay $10/month $149/month
MHR Custom Custom
Oyster HR $29/month $699/month
Patriot Payroll $17/month $37/month
Paycom Custom Custom
Playroll $399/employee/month $399/employee/month

Detailed pricing comparisons:

Browse all Payroll Software pricing →

6 OnPay Hidden Costs Beyond the List Price

Beyond the listed price, OnPay has at least 6 documented hidden costs that can significantly increase total cost of ownership.

Watch for 6 hidden costs
  • Time Tracking Integration Cost $20-40/month plus $4-6/user/month for time tracking add-on
    medium 1 source
    Reddit "You mention you wanted time tracking, and OnPay doesn't have that option it just integrates with others, which means you will also be paying for timeclock and then have to deal with two systems."
  • Additional Charges for Mailing Tax Documents 5-10% of license costs
    low 1 source
    Reddit "Additional charges for mailing tax documents"
  • Integration Setup Complexity 5-15% of license costs
    low 1 source
    Reddit "Integrations can be a bit tricky to setup."
  • No Volume Discounts $6/user/month at all volumes
    medium 1 source
    Reddit "No discounts for larger user volumes"
  • No Mobile App for Android 5-10% of license costs
    low 1 source
    Reddit "Mobile application is available only for iOS"
  • No Weekend Support 5-10% of license costs
    medium 1 source
    Reddit "There isn't much in the way of downsides with OnPay, unless you count the lack of a mobile app or support on weekends."
Tip

Ask your OnPay sales rep about these costs upfront. Getting them in writing before signing can save you from surprise charges later.

Full hidden costs breakdown →

Intelligence sourced from 2 independent sources
Reddit User discussions TrustRadius Enterprise reviews
Key claims include inline source attribution. Data verified against multiple independent sources. 11 source citations total.

OnPay Contract Terms

OnPay contracts do not auto-renew. Changes require advance notice. These terms are sourced from verified buyer experiences.

Contract Terms
Auto-Renewal No
Mid-Term Downgrade Not allowed
Payment Terms Monthly subscription
Price Escalation No published schedule mentioned in sources

How to Negotiate OnPay Pricing

OnPay contracts are negotiable. These 4 tactics are sourced from real buyer experiences and procurement specialists.

Negotiation Playbook 4 tactics
Use Free First Month as Leverage medium success

OnPay offers the first month free. Use this trial period to fully evaluate the platform and negotiate any onboarding support or pricing concessions before committing to a paid subscription.

Reddit (multiple sources)
Compare Against Gusto and Paychex medium success

OnPay competes directly with Gusto and Paychex. Mention competitor quotes when discussing pricing — sources note OnPay and Gusto have similar feature sets and pricing, giving you negotiating leverage.

Reddit (r/smallbusiness, r/CFOPlaybook)
Accountant or Bookkeeper Referral Programs medium success

Sources mention OnPay offers bonuses (e.g., $10,000 bonus) to accountants and bookkeepers for switching clients over. If you work with an accountant, ask if they have a partnership arrangement that could reduce your costs.

Reddit (r/taxpros)
Bundle Payroll and HR Add-ons low success

OnPay offers HR add-ons as separate line items. When signing up, ask if bundling Payroll + HR features provides any discount compared to adding them piecemeal.

Reddit (r/CFOPlaybook, r/HRStack)
High success Medium Low / difficult

Full negotiation guide →

OnPay Price History

Pricing changes CostBench has tracked for OnPay, verified across 2 snapshots going back to 2026Q1.

  1. OnPay price increase

    Highest tier increased from $49 to $75/month

    +53.1%

  2. OnPay tier restructure

    Changed from 2 to 4 pricing tiers

  3. OnPay tier renamed

    "free" renamed to "Payroll Essentials"

  4. OnPay tier renamed

    "standard" renamed to "Payroll + HR Add-on"

View OnPay's full price history →

OnPay Pricing FAQ

01 How much does OnPay cost per month?

OnPay starts at $49/month base plus $6/month per employee. A business with 5 employees pays $75/month; with 10 employees, $109/month. The minimum effective cost is $49/month (1 employee). OnPay offers a first month free for new customers.

02 Does OnPay charge per employee?

Yes. OnPay uses a base-plus-per-employee model: $49/month base + $6/month per employee for the core Payroll Essentials plan. The HR Add-on adds another $15/month base + $2/employee/month, bringing the per-employee rate to $10/month with HR.

03 What HR add-ons does OnPay offer and what do they cost?

OnPay offers three HR add-ons: the HR Add-on ($15/month base + $2/employee/month) for PTO management, workflows, and document storage; Compliance Resources ($10/month) for state-by-state regulatory alerts and HR templates; and Live HR Support ($75/month) for access to a dedicated HR concierge.

04 Does OnPay include tax filing in the price?

Yes. Federal, state, and local tax filings are included in the base $49/month price. W-2s and 1099s are also included at no extra cost. OnPay emphasizes a no-hidden-fees pricing model.

05 Is there a free trial for OnPay?

Yes. OnPay offers your first month free, giving you full access to the platform before you pay. There is no permanently free tier — after the first month, billing begins at $49/month + $6/employee.

06 How does OnPay's pricing compare to Gusto?

OnPay and Gusto both use base-plus-per-employee pricing. OnPay's base is $49/month + $6/employee. Gusto's Simple plan is $49/month + $6/employee, but its Plus plan is $75/month + $12/employee with more HR features. OnPay is often preferred for small teams that want a straightforward all-inclusive base plan without tiered feature gating.

07 Does OnPay offer a free trial?

Yes, OnPay offers the first month free with full access to all features including payroll processing, tax filing, employee onboarding, HR tools, and customer support. A paid subscription is required after the trial month.

08 Does OnPay include time tracking?

No. OnPay does not have built-in time tracking. It integrates with third-party time tracking tools, which typically cost an additional $20–$49/month plus $4–$6 per employee. If time tracking is a requirement, factor this into your total cost comparison.

09 Does OnPay handle payroll tax filing automatically?

Yes. OnPay automates payroll tax calculations, filings, and payments. It also handles W-2 and 1099 processing, though there are additional charges if you need tax documents mailed.

10 Is OnPay good for multi-state payroll?

Yes. Multiple reviewers specifically highlight OnPay's ability to manage tax payments across different states and keep businesses compliant with multi-state payroll requirements.

11 Does OnPay offer volume discounts for larger teams?

No. OnPay does not offer discounts for larger user volumes. The per-employee fee of $6/month applies uniformly regardless of company size.

12 Can employees access OnPay themselves?

Yes. OnPay includes an employee self-service portal where employees can manage their own information. Employees retain lifetime access to their self-service accounts.

13 Is OnPay available on mobile?

OnPay has a mobile app, but it is available only for iOS. Android users cannot access OnPay via a dedicated mobile app.

Is this pricing incorrect? — we'll verify and update it.